Just bought a 20D

[Truffle]

:-D Hi guys and girls, i am really excited and have just ordered a 20D online - should be with me on Friday it has the standard 18-55mm lense with it. -Do any of you have any quick tips or have had to overcome teething problems at all?

I'll post some photos when i get it. I am also going to buy a studio flash/lighting set this weekend as it is cheaper than buying three canon flash kits (@£300 per flash) - any of you have any ideas on what is best to look for?

Thanks :-D

[JerseyJay]

:-D Hi guys and girls, i am really excited and have just ordered a 20D online - should be with me on Friday it has the standard 18-55mm lense with it. -Do any of you have any quick tips or have had to overcome teething problems at all?
Truffle,
I would search for 20D and you should get a lot of topic. We have few members who recently purchased this camera.

I'll post some photos when i get it. I am also going to buy a studio flash/lighting set this weekend as it is cheaper than buying three canon flash kits (@£300 per flash) - any of you have any ideas on what is best to look for?
I would shoot for 420EX, 550EX or 580EX. It is all about how much money you are willing to spend. Either one is excellent for aquatic photography and photography in general.

[Truffle]

Thanks Jay

Another question to all you pros out there, please excuse my ignorance, but

1/ is there much difference between the standard canon lenses and the "L" series lenses (apart from price)?2/ Is the difference worthy of the price difference?
3/ Are there any better lenses out there as I don't mind paying for a decent lens, up to a point, (£3000+ per lens is a little beyond me at the moment but £1000 isn't too bad).

BTW what a fantastic camera the 20D is excellent quality.

Thanks for your help :-O

[Truffle]

OK Guys

I have just bought a canon 100-400 L USM lens, great for taking out in the field and getting shots of birds and squirrels etc -

I would like some advice as to what lens to get for protrait shots as i would like to try some portrait work.

Any Ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

[meriadoc]

85mm 1.8 - if you can afford it - 85 1.2L

or

135 2.8 soft focus, or once again, if you can afford it, 135 2.0L

[hir0]

those look like very good suggestions from Lisa. i don't shoot canon, but nikon is pretty much the same set. going off of that rationale, i bet the 70-200 2.8 would be a great lens for portraits as well.

[Truffle]

Thanks for the recommendations, I appreciate it.

I will have to sace up a little for the - 85 1.2L - The soft focus is an interesting option as well - can you create the "soft focus" using the 135 2.0L as well?

Would i be right in saying that the more expensive lenses will produce a much better quality photograph, as well as being 'faster'

Thanks

[hir0]

Hi Tristan. "L" is canon's designator for their top of the line glass. You'll get better color rendition, contrast, build quality, weather sealing, etc... from L lenses in general. i'm sure canon's "L" line has a few not so outstanding performers also - so be sure to do your homework before making an investment. The 135 would suit you well for headshot portraits, and If it's on par with Nikon's equivalant, it should give you a nice creamy bokeh as well. the 85mm 1.2 would probably be hard to beat. keep in mind, you're gonna need some distance with an 85mm shooting portraits. As far as the better photographs go - that's something that you have to develop as a photographer. You can have the worst equipment in the world and deliver beatiful photos. "faster" is a term generally used for lenses that excel in low light, due to having a large maximum aperture size. the larger the aperture, the more versatility you have because you can get faster shutter speeds in low light situations. the 20d is an excellent camera as it gives you very usable results at higher iso. that, coupled with a fast lens is a good combination. 2.8 lenses and "faster" (lower f-number) are the most sought after by pros and advanced amateurs. on the really long glass, f4 becomes the next best thing. Canon has a large inventory of USM lenses, so fast autofocus will likely not be an issue for you. sorry i can't really speak for canon lenses specifically, i'm a nikon guy. check out fred miranda's reviews (http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/) for some other peoples opinions on lenses. happy shooting! :)

[meriadoc]

just be aware - there are L lenses that aren't as good sometimes as their non-L counterparts. Sigma lenses - their EX series has lenses that are on par, and sometimes better than the L glass.

[Truffle]

just be aware - there are L lenses that aren't as good sometimes as their non-L counterparts. Sigma lenses - their EX series has lenses that are on par, and sometimes better than the L glass.


How do you know which one is better than another? :-D

[Truffle]

Hi guys,

thought you might like to see a couple if images that i have taken, (now that the sun has come out).
I was using my 20D with the 100-400 L lense and just playing around with it. Comments please would be appreciated.

http://www.hurstpointyachts.com/Avatar%20Page/swan82.jpg

and

http://www.hurstpointyachts.com/Avatar%20Page/swan86.jpg

I was using a monopod for all my shots as i did not have access to a tripod so using the 400mm zoom was not very sharp, especially when it clouded over, i was having to go down to 1/60 to get a decent exposure!!!

I have now borrowed a tripod. :-P

[benny]

Good photo...the contrast was well handled and not loss of details there with very good exposure control.

I think that's a great investment you've put in, but certainly a good one.

I wouldn't worry so much about building up a lens collection quickly. Get familiarised with the camera first and also techniques. Then work on a good photo editing program. Then get more lenses.

With photo editing programs, the quality of the lenses has been discounted in recent years. Carl Zeiss lenses and the likes used to be the benchmark and equipment to die for due to their sharpness, contrast and color depth. Nowadays, a shot taken with almost any 50 mm F1.8 (or any other lens) can be adjusted in Photoshop to be TACK sharp, with excellent contrast and saturation, that will give Carl Zeiss lens a very very good run for it's money. Think about this.

Having said that, I do enjoy the built quality of Canon's L lenses and feel that they are worth their money. If only they don't weight as much, I might take them out more often.

Cheers,

[Truffle]

Yep Benny, I am with you on the weight issue -having said that i have just invested in a lowerpro backpack so the weight doesn't bother me anymore. Mind you when i changed from four hours shooting with my 100-400 to my18-55 (as supplied with the camera) i thought teh 20D was going to float off.